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Testimonies for the Church Volume 5
not relinquish every rival for Christ. Under the preaching of the word
there is a partial suppression of worldliness, but no radical change of
the affections. Worldly desires, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life ultimately gain the victory. This class are all
professed Christians. Their names are on the church books. They live
for a time a seemingly religious life and then yield their hearts, too
often finally, to the predominating influence of the world.
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Whatever may be Brother-----’s faults, your course is unjustifiable
and unchristian. You have gone back over his history for years and
have searched out everything that was unfavorable, every shadow of
evil, and have made him an offender for a word. You have brought all
the powers you could command to sustain yourselves in your course
as accusers. Remember, God will deal in the same manner with every
one of you. “With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and
with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” Those
who have taken part in this disgraceful proceeding will meet their work
again. What influence do you think your course will have upon the
students, who have ever been impatient of restraint? How will these
things affect their character and their life history?
What say the testimonies concerning these things? Even one wrong
trait of character, one sinful desire cherished, will eventually neutralize
all the power of the gospel. The prevalence of a sinful desire shows
the delusion of the soul. Every indulgence of that desire strengthens
the soul’s aversion to God. The pains of duty and the pleasures of sin
are the cords with which Satan binds men in his snares. Those who
would rather die than perform a wrong act are the only ones who will
be found faithful.
A child may receive sound religious instruction; but if parents,
teachers, or guardians permit his character to be biased by a wrong
habit, that habit, if not overcome, will become a predominant power,
and the child is lost.
The testimony borne to you by the Spirit of God is: Parley not
with the enemy. Kill the thorns, or they will kill you. Break up the
fallow ground of the heart. Let the work go deep and thorough. Let
the plowshare of truth tear out the weeds and briers.
Said Christ to the angry, accusing Pharisees: “He that is without
sin among you, let him first cast a stone.” Were those sinless who were
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so ready to accuse and condemn Brother-----? Were their characters